Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic to leave club at the end of the season

Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic has confirmed he will leave the club at the end of the season.

The Serbia defender's contract expires in the summer and, while manager David Moyes has spoken about the positive influence Vidic still has at United and indicated he wanted him to stay, it is not thought he was offered an extension and he has now decided to move on.

"I have decided that I will move on at the end of this season," said Vidic, in a statement released by United.

"I want to challenge myself again and try to make the best of myself in the coming years.

"I'm not considering staying in England as the only club I ever wanted to play for here is Manchester United and I was lucky enough to be part of this club for so many years.

"I've got a few options to move on and I will choose the right one for me and for my family."

Vidic is free to talk with clubs outside England under the Bosman regulations, with Inter Milan believed to be one of the front-runners to acquire his services.

Reaction to the 32-year-old's impending exit from United fans will be interesting.

The player has been one of the most popular members of the Red Devils' squad since he arrived from Spartak Moscow for £7million - a transfer bizarrely announced on Christmas Day in 2005.

He has played a central role in virtually all United's significant triumphs since then - Vidic did recently reveal he handed his first winners' medal from the 2006 Carling Cup to Giuseppe Rossi as the Italian had played in all the previous matches up to the final.

Last May, Vidic skippered United to their historic 20th championship - his fifth and the last under Sir Alex Ferguson.

However, the tough defender made only 19 league appearances as he battled to overcome a serious knee injury, suffered in a Champions League defeat to Basle in December 2011 that required two major operations, ruling Vidic out for extended periods on both occasions.